András Schiff

Sir András Schiff (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈɒndraːʃ ˈʃifː]; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honors, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2014 Birthday Honours for services to music. He is also known for his public criticism of political movements in Hungary and Austria.

Schiff was born in Budapest into a Jewish family, the only child of two Holocaust survivors. He began piano lessons at age five, studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with Elisabeth Vadász, then with Pál Kadosa and Ferenc Rados. Of Rados, Schiff said, “There was never a positive word from him. Everything was bad, horrible. But it instilled a healthy attitude, an element of doubt.” Among his classmates were renowned concert pianists Zoltán Kocsis and Dezső Ránki. He then studied in London with George Malcolm, a pioneer in the use of period keyboard instruments; Schiff made a recording with Malcolm of four-hand music by Mozart using a fortepiano that once belonged to the composer. He also studied piano and chamber music with György Kurtág.

Schiff was a finalist in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1974 and third prize winner of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 1975. He emigrated from Hungary in 1979. He was unable to meet residency requirements for US citizenship due to his long absences for touring and accepted Austrian citizenship in 1987 and established homes in London and Salzburg.

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